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Former US treasury secretary the Harvard professor is leaving the board at the artificial intelligence firm, just a week after a batch of emails between him and notorious criminal the accused trafficker became publicly available.

Summers commented in a statement that he was "thankful for the privilege to have contributed, optimistic about the potential of the enterprise, and eagerly await following their advancement".

Summers, who formerly presided over Harvard University, stated on recently that he would be withdrawing from public responsibilities due to his association with Jeffrey Epstein.

Message Exchange

The freshly disclosed communications demonstrated that Summers communicated with the financier until the eve of Epstein's 2019 apprehension for alleged trafficking of underage individuals.

In another announcement, the AI firm said it respected Summers' choice to resign.

"We value his significant contributions and the insight he provided to the governing body," the organization stated.

Political Context

This announcement arrives after the two houses of the legislative branch agreed on Tuesday to pass a bill that would mandate the US justice department to make public its documents on Epstein.

The measure will then head to the administration of US President Donald Trump for approval. He has stated he intends to endorse the measure, after reversing his position on the matter following pressure from his supporters.

Email Contents

A collection of financier-linked messages released by the legislative panel last week mentioned numerous high-profile figures in the Epstein's past associates, without indicating any criminal activity by those individuals.

The emails revealed that the economist and Jeffrey Epstein often met for meals, with the billionaire often attempting to connect the official to notable global figures.

Individual Statement

After the emails were shared with the general audience, he stated he took "complete accountability for my misguided decision to persist in communicating with Mr Epstein".

He continued that he hoped "to restore trust and repair connections with the people most important to me".

Career Background

The economist served in leadership roles under two Democratic presidents; serving as Treasury chief under President Clinton, and as head of the White House economic team under the former leader.

He led the university from the early 2000s and remains a academic there. When declaring his withdrawal from public commitments previously on this week, he indicated he would persist with his educational duties.

Further Repercussions

Following the economist's statement on earlier this week, the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank in DC where the professor was a prominent member, verified that Summers was not connected with the organization.

Summers joined the board of OpenAI, which develops the AI chatbot, in last year - following a unsuccessful effort to remove its chief executive the company leader.